November 17, 2016 — Traditional web design is all about the mockup, a series of fully designed pages that a developer then turns into templates and a theme. This kind of web design can create websites that are harder to maintain or extend in the future; if it’s not in the original mockup, we have no idea what to do! In recent years, however, a new method has emerged: designing with patterns – small, reusable mini-designs that are combined to create templates of any sort. We’ll learn three connected topics: what pattern libraries are all about; how they make life better for designers, developers, and clients; and how to work with a pattern library when building WordPress themes. By the end of the presentation, you’ll feel comfortable with the idea of designing and developing with patterns, and know how to start improving your work with pattern libraries.

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August 9, 2016 — Some of the most aesthetically pleasing sites are also the slowest, but you don’t have to limit yourself to square corners and solid background colors to speed up your WordPress site. There are a number of tips and simple techniques you can adopt in your current process to get both performance and great design in future projects.

December 11, 2015 — Style Tiles are a simple and effective way to help clients separate design decisions from content, so you can make sweeping changes before they become time-consuming and expensive. If you design websites, or work with people that do, this presentation will explain how Style Tiles can promote buy-in and a sense of ownership from the client, helping them feel like the final design was their idea all along. You will learn how Style Tiles fit into the design process and development process. And to get you started, a Style Tile template and some basic survey questions will be available for download.

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October 3, 2015 — It is critical to design your website to meet buyers’ evolving needs. Your website must engage them and be a valuable component of the process throughout their entire purchase journey.
This presentation will discuss specific methods for putting your omni-channel customer at the forefront of your site design in order to increase leads, sales and revenue.